Best Bookies, Compare Odds, Claim Free Bets & Betting Tips

JustBookies is the place to find the best UK bookmakers, with our honest and independent reviews of the top online betting firms. Plus we have odds comparison tables on the major sports events to ensure you get the biggest prices about your selections. Our betting tips section aims to beat the bookies with in-depth sports previews. There is a guide further down this page to the latest sports welcome bonuses and free bets from our top recommended betting sites

If you simply want to sign up with an honest and trusted bookie with no delay, then these are our top five recommended sports betting sites. They are listed in order of preference and they all offer a fair free bet welcome bonus:

JustBookies’ Top Recommended UK Bookies for January

In our opinion Bet365 deserves to be the most popular online bookie in the UK. Our experience of using their site suggests that they offer one of the widest range of betting odds, the most efficient and friendly customer service plus lightning quick withdrawals when you want your winnings. We found they did not start limiting winning players’ bets the moment you bet on several winners. Bet365 is JustBookies’ No.1 rated bookmaker as we believe that they are a class apart from the competition. Details of their welcome bonus for new players can be found in the section below that details the bookies’ free bets that are on offer.Go To Bet365 | Our Bet365 Review

Coming in at No.2 in our list of preferred online bookies is the famous Betfred. They compete well with their rivals on all fronts. Their free bet for sports, detailed just further down this JustBookies home page, is very enticing. Bonuses are worth having, but joining a bookmaker that won’t mess you around is far more important: Betfred provide a solid and honest service. It is a particularly good place to bet on the Scoop 6 horse racing bet on a Saturday because they sometimes boost the prize fund for Betfred customers only. JustBookies has been very impressed by their telephone customer service.Go To Betfred | Our Betfred Review

William Hill is one of the largest names in UK bookmaking. They are visible on every high street in Britain and have a great online betting website. As a corporate Goliath of the industry, they can be trusted to play fair with your money and your bets. For the latest welcome bonus from William Hill, please see below. If you are having a wager on football, horse racing, F1 or any other sport then William Hill is well worth a go.Go To William Hill | Our William Hill Review

Older punters will recall the former brand name of BetVictor was Victor Chandler. It was a family bookmaker then, albeit a big one with a reputation for taking lofty bets. They may not accommodate four figure stakes as easily nowadays but they are a solid option for the rest of us. The website is fast and easy to get to grips with. Payouts are quick and the betting markets are plentiful. Now owned by Michael Tabor, a billionaire and racehorse owner, BetVictor has never had such sound financial backing. BetVictor has a good reputation within the gambling industry and competes favourably with the other top sports betting websites. Of course this firm does offer a decent sign-up bonus (full details of their current welcome offer can be found here). We can recommend BetVictor.Go To BetVictor | Our BetVictor Review

Another online bookmaker that has impressed us, particularly more recently is Coral. This established brand has a good and user-friendly website. They cover all sports and entertainment betting. JustBookies has bet with Coral quite frequently so we know they do a good job for their punters and can be trusted. If you want to know the details of their current sign-up offer then please see below.Go To Coral | Our Coral Review

Compare Free Bets & Bonuses From Top Rated Online Bookmakers

In this section JustBookies details the free bets and welcome bonuses from all our recommended sports betting sites. We provide an ‘at a glance’ review of each of the online bookmakers. Plus we include those crucial bonus terms and conditions for their welcome offers. We urge you to read that smallprint to ensure you get the best from the free bet offers:

This is JustBookies’ idea of the best online bookmaker. In our opinion, Bet365 is the top choice if you are looking for a bookmaker for any sports event. They have a great £100 Bet Credits welcome bonus (see T&Cs just below). But to discover all their current promotions and offers, we advise you click through to their website as there are just so many of them! We reckon that this firm is brilliant for big and little punters: in JustBookies’ tests across all the bookies, Bet365 accepted a bigger bet than any of its rivals. There is no delay getting your winnings back either, as in our personal experience their payouts are faster than the competitors too. Choosing a bookmaker is more than just getting bribed by the biggest welcome bonus, but Bet365 win on that score as well. Our recommendation for Bet365 is based on years of betting with them and they are our No.1 rated bookmaker.Go To Bet365 | Our Bet365 Review

Bet365 £100 Bet Credits Welcome Bonus Terms: New Customers only. Up to £100 in Bet Credits. Sign up, deposit £5 or more to your account and Bet365 will match your qualifying deposit in Bet Credits when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.

Betfred is an ever-expanding and trusted brand with a good sports betting welcome bonus. If you bet a tenner or more as your first sports bet then Betfred will give you an extra £30 free bet. Make sure that you bet on a selection at odds of evens or more. They also offer ‘best odds guaranteed’ on horse racing. Betfred is another firm we have bet with regularly. JustBookies is impressed with the excellent customer service, the huge choice of events and their lightning-fast payouts. We have found that they will generally accept a reasonable sized wager, though there is room for improvement. They are also the best firm to place the Scoop 6 bet with. They have the UK monopoly on tote betting and regularly add big bonuses if the Scoop 6 winner placed that wager with Betfred.Go To Betfred | Our Betfred Review

One of the most recognised brand names in the business thanks to their presence in almost every UK high street, William Hill gives newbies £30 of free bets when you bet a tenner. You need to use promo code C30 to take advantage of it. William Hill give best odds guaranteed on horse & dog racing. They are one of the most successful online bookies for a reason – they keep players happy with a wide range of betting markets, fast payouts and an easy to use website. They have been voted Online Operator of the Year.Go To William Hill | Our William Hill Review

William Hill Free Bet Bonus Terms: New William Hill online customers only. Minimum unit stake of £10/€10 at odds of 1/2 or greater. Only the win part from each-way bets will count. Free bet terms, payment method & country restrictions apply. Free bets credited as 3 x £10/€10. Free bet stakes are not returned as part of the settlement of successful free bets. All Free Bets must be wagered within 30 days.

Place a first bet with BetVictor of a fiver or more, at odds of evens or higher, and you will receive 3 x £10 free bets. This is allocated as 1) 1 x £10 sports bonus (to be used on a selection at odds of evens or more); 2) 1 x £10 sports bonus for using on an accumulator bet (must be of at least three legs ie: 3+ selections in the acca wager); 3) 1 x £10 casino bonus. BetVictor is an impressive site to use and we really like the simple but comprehensive software they use. If you follow horse racing then you may know of the billionaire owner Michael Tabor. He bought out former-owner Victor Chandler’s majority share and now owns BetVictor. This bookie has always had a good reputation as a fair, reliable and solid place to play.Go To BetVictor | Our BetVictor Review

BetVictor Free Bet Bonus Terms: For new customers only. Deposit and place a £5 qualifying bet at odds of 2.00 (evens) or greater within seven days of opening a new account. Excludes cashed out bets. Receive two £10 free football bets, valid on certain events only (one at odds of 2.00, which is evens, or greater), expires in seven days, plus a £10 casino bonus, expires in seven days. Bet the casino bonus 40 x to withdraw winnings. Applies to credit or debit card deposits only. Geographical restrictions apply. Terms and conditions apply.

Stake £/€5+ on your first bet with Coral and receive a free £/€20. This is better than it looks as you only risk a fiver to get twenty. Also they give best odds guaranteed for horse racing and greyhounds. This outfit is a major UK brand, after all Coral betting shops have been a mainstay of the British high street for decades. They now have a great online betting site to go with it. A lot of sports betting companies only really want small-stakes bettors, but JustBookies’ tests revealed Coral accept a larger bet than many other UK-facing bookmakers.Go To Coral | Our Coral Review

Betfair started as a betting exchange where you match bets against other customers. They still have the exchange section but now also have a great traditional fixed odds bookmaker section. They call this ‘Betfair Sportsbook’ to differentiate it from their betting exchange. So in the sportsbook you are betting against Betfair (just like with any other bookmaker), not other people. The sportsbook’s standard new customer offer is as follows: Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to five times to receive the maximum £100 bonus. They also offer enhanced betting odds as a welcome bonus for new customers. For example: They might offer Man Utd at 6/1 instead of at evens to win against Sunderland. If an enhanced price offer like that is currently available then it will show when you click through to Betfair from this page. JustBookies is impressed by their sportsbook, which is better run and takes a bigger bet size than most of the other bookies on this page. Betfair also offer ‘Best Odds Guaranteed’ on all horse racing, so you don’t lose out if you take the odds and that price then drifts to a bigger SP. Their betting exchange section suits more experienced punters and has more volume than any other person-to-person betting site in the world. Once you get comfortable with their sportsbook you can always try out the exchange too and see how you like it. We tend to use a bit of both, cherry picking the best odds for our selections. They have a different free bet offer in the Betfair Exchange section of the site. You get up to £20 refunded as a match of your first bet if that wager loses. Click here for Betfair Sportsbook or use this link for Betfair Exchange.Go To Betfair | Our Betfair Review

Betfair Exchange Bonus Conditions: New customers only. Bet up to €/£20 on Betfair Exchange and if your first bet loses receive a refund of €/£20 in cash. Bet must be placed within seven days of opening your account. T&Cs apply.

Respected Irish-based online bookmakers Paddy Power will give you £/€20 cash as a refund of your first stake if that bet loses. The bad bit about this is that you need to lose to get it. The good bit is that at least they match your initial bet in cash rather than free bet tokens. This welcome bonus boils down to a ‘risk free bet’. Paddy Power offers a good, fun betting location, as befits a publicly listed company. We like having a bet with these masters of the PR stunt. Our punting experience is that they are right up there with the best.Go To Paddy Power | Our Paddy Power Review

Paddy Power Free Bet Bonus Terms: New customers only, limited to one per person. If you have previously had a Paddy Power account then you will not qualify for the offer. Place your 1st bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses Paddy Power will refund your stake in cash. Maximum refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards or Paypal will qualify for this promotion.

One of the largest bookmaking companies in the world, Ladbrokes gives away £20 as 4 x £5 free bets. Your first bet must be for a fiver or more and on a selection at odds of 1/2 or bigger. You need to use the promo code 20FREE to get this. It may be one of the smallest of the bookies free bets but this is a good solid firm as befits their reputation. Ladbrokes offer best odds guaranteed on horse racing. As well as their online betting website, Ladbrokes run a massive chain of high street betting shops and is known as a company to trust. Excellent online site and they have taken three-figure bets from us over a long period of time without any problem.Go To Ladbrokes | Our Ladbrokes Review

BoyleSports is a large Irish-based online bookmakers but they have a deliberately complex free bet offer. They tend to tinker with their free bet promotion often and it never looks as good as first seemed once you read the smallprint. This time is much the same: 1) You must stake a tenner or more initially at odds of 1/2 or higher to get a £5 free bet. 2) Then you get the 50% average (what?!) of your next three qualifying bets up to a maximum of a fiver. They offer that four times. If you jump through all the hoops then you can claim £25 in total as 5 x £5 bonuses. This bookie does offer a good service for punters who bet smaller stakes. This is not a firm with a reputation for accommodating large sports bets, as we discovered for ourselves.Go To BoyleSports | Our BoyleSports Review

Unibet has nearly five million registered clients, mostly in mainland Europe but Unibet is also ideal for UK players. Unibet offers a bonus of ‘bet £20, get £40 welcome bundle’. The £40 works out as: 1) 2 x £10 free bets; 2) 1 x £20 casino bonus. To qualify simply bet £20 or more for your 1st sports bet and you get the offer regardless if that bet wins or loses. The full terms of this Unibet bonus are listed in the smallprint below. JustBookies thinks Unibet is a decent enough online betting company for smaller-stakes sports punters.Go To Unibet | Our Unibet Review

Unibet Free Bet Bonus Terms: New customers only. Minimum deposit £10. Once £20+ qualifying sports bet has been placed, the free bets are credited regardless of the 1st bet outcome (it can win or lose). Free bet available for use on any sports market, but horse racing is excluded from the offer. Cashed out bets will cancel the offer. First qualifying bet only. Free bet offer will expire after 30 days. £20 casino bonus credited next working day from 1st deposit and has 35 x wagering requirement. 18+. UK residents only. Further T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org.

Totesport was formerly known simply as The Tote. It was once owned by the United Kingdom government but was bought by Betfred. Although you can place a Scoop 6 bet at all major online bookies, it is Totesport (in their ‘Totepool’ section) that is the home of that famous bet and so arguably one of the best places for your Scoop 6 wagers. They offer everything that is available from the traditional online bookmakers and in addition they have pool betting on UK horse racing. Totesport gives best odds guaranteed on horse racing. They offer one of the more atypical bookies free bets and that is £20 to new customers, but this is in two parts: 1) £10 free bet as a match of your first sports bet of a tenner of over; 2) Also you can claim £10 back as cash on your first Totepool bet of a tenner or more. The T&Cs are listed below. Totesport is a surprisingly good bookmaker.Go To Totesport | Our Totesport Review

Totesport Free Bet Bonus Terms: New customers only. 18+. Stake £10 on any Sportsbook market for the first time, at odds of evens (2.0) or greater & get a £10 Free Bet within 24 hours of settlement. There is a 7-day expiry, so use it within that week. Stake £10 on any Totepool bet for the first time and get £10 returned in cash within 24 hours of settlement of the wager.

Betdaq is the second biggest betting exchange after Betfair. Get your first month’s standard 2% commission as cash-back up to £1000. It has always struggled to keep up with Betfair in terms of volume traded per event, but if you already use Betfair betting exchange then it might be wise to have an account with Betdaq too.Go To Betdaq | Our Betdaq Review

Betdaq Free Bet Bonus Terms: New customers only. 18+. Qualification period for cash-back is 30 days from date of registration. Credited automatically as cash to your account within 72hrs. T&Cs apply.

Bookies’ Offers, Bonuses & Free Bets Explained

The first question we at JustBookies have to answer for you is: “Are bookies’ free bets actually free?” The honest answer is that with the exception of perhaps one type, these offers do all carry conditions.

We detail the terms and conditions alongside all the latest welcome bonuses on this JustBookies home page.

If you truly want to get the best out of these offers then read the smallprint. It will inform you of the hoops to jump through to claim the full amount. Don’t make any assumptions!

The bookies’ bonuses tend to fall into one of these categories:

Match Of Deposit: You get a free bet that is a match of the amount that you initially fund your betting account with. However there is always a limit to how much a bookmaker will match, and that is the freebie figure, which might be say £50. So if you deposit a tenner into your brand new betting account then they will give you £10 to play with. Do watch out for little pitfalls as they may insist the freebie is wagered on a selection at odds of evens or above. Also it is only the winnings from your wager with these funds that are returned to you. You can not ultimately withdraw the stake amount that was gifted to you. Different firms have a slightly different take on it, but the key thing is to read their terms via the ‘promotions’ or ‘bonuses’ link that will be somewhere on their home page.

Match Of 1st Bet: This works identically but it gives you the offer in relation to the size of that initial wager.

No Deposit Bonus: This is the one that I would call the mother of all free bets. You get this merely for joining up and filling in the registration form. It is a rare animal and tends to be for a very small amount, maybe a tenner or fiver. That is because it really hurts the bookmaker. It is a true giveaway and so an excellent deal for you. Unfortunately there are currently none of these ‘no deposit bonus’ offers currently available from the UK sports betting sites.

So why do the bookies even make these offers? It is to persuade you to join them rather than a rival. Our advice is not to have your head turned purely by size.

There are more important things to consider if you plan on betting regularly at a company than just free bets, and that is how good they actually are.

On this page JustBookies ranks the online bookmakers not only by the headline bonus figure, but more importantly by their overall service to their players.

We suggest that you pick the bookie that will offer you the best long term experience, irrespective of the free bet amount.

What To Bet On In January: Premier League Odds, Champions League & more

Now we are in January, do not think there is a paucity of sports betting events. It is a good month for football, horse racing and there are odds on TV events.

The centre of punters’ and bookmakers’ interest remains the ongoing Premier League clashes.

At JustBookies, we have outright winner, relegation, top 4 and golden boot betting markets, among others.

British teams are still well represented in the Champions League, another football competition that attracts plenty of interest from punters.

Remember to claim some of the free bets that JustBookies has on offer. Perhaps you could use them on one or two of this month’s sports betting highlights:

Premier League Football: Liverpool have usurped Man City as odds-on to win this season’s Premier League title. Man City are odds-against to follow up on their record-breaking exploits of last year.

Certainly it looks a two-horse race and free-scoring Liverpool have grabbed pole position with the second half of the season to play.

As well as the battle for the EPL title, there is the usual dog fight on for the Top 4 places. Plus we have the relegation betting market, which is always bitterly fought with so much to lose. It is very hard to call the three teams most likely for the drop at this stage, perhaps you have your own ideas.

JustBookies has all the Premier League Betting from the best of the UK’s sports betting sites. That includes Premier League outright winner, relegation, Top 4 & 6 finish and odds to stay up.

We also have Golden Boot odds, which is the betting market for the Premier League’s top goalscorer.

The Championship: We also have the lowdown on the Championship football with latest bookmaker prices on winner, promotion, relegation and golden boot markets.

Take a look at the Championship prices from the big UK betting sites. It is the Championship relegation market that is getting most hits.

Champions League: Man City are shortest with the oddsmakers to be crowned the best in Europe. While Liverpool, Man Utd and Spurs are still in the competition. Can a British team win the Champions League? If you want a bet, first check the UCL betting here.

F1 Betting: Lewis Hamilton landed a fifth F1 title this season and he is favourite to do the same again for Mercedes next season.

So check out the latest Grand Prix, Constructors Championship and F1 Drivers title odds with JustBookies and enjoy one of several F1 free bets from those top bookmakers.